The Snow Flame and the Soul Ring
by Black Star Kath13
Summary: Aiko Miyazaki is as normal as she can be, but as most people, there's always a catch. There are things about her that make her special. One would be that her father is mafia. Another is that she has special abilities. Now the last one is... she's in a sort-of relationship with the one and only Hibari Kyoya. [this isn't what you think it is... or is it? let me know what you think.]
1. Her Return to NMS

Hello all! It's been a while... well more like 4 years lol! anyway here's a new one I promise I will finish writing as the other two fanfics I made haven't been updated during those 4 years xD

disclaimer: I don't own the KHR I just own the plot and the OCs.

I would also like to apologize that some of the characters here are a little OOC. ^_^;;

Enjoy dear humans!

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Chapter 1

It was another normal morning at Namimori Middle School. All the students were walking to the school for another day of classes and friends. As usual, Hibari Kyoya was at the Reception room, watching each and every one of the students walking to class, checking if there was anyone who was violating the rules. As he does so, there was one student that caught his eye. He made a mental note to check up on that student later that day.

At the classroom of 2 – A, Kyoko and Chrome arrive. Kyoko was telling Chrome about her once a month tradition with Haru and I-pin about going to the bake shop at the Namimori Shopping center and was asking Chrome if she'd like to tag along. Chrome blushed and nodded. Kyoko was very delighted to hear it from Chrome and said that she was going to tell Haru later on.

As they enter, Kyoko noticed a girl with long dark hair and pale skin a girl sitting at the last row and a seat from the door. She was silently reading a book while all their other classmates were mingling about.

Kyoko's eyes widened and said, "Aiko-chan!"

Aiko looked up from her book and looked for the person who said her name. Her blue eyes then fell on Kyoko and smiled, "_Ohayo gozaimasu_, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko and Chrome walked over to her. "It's been a while, how are you feeling?" Kyoko asked.

"I'm fine, I just have to keep on taking my medicine and not overwork myself," Aiko answered.

Chrome only blushed while they talked, unsure if she should continue to her seat or join in their conversation. Just then, Kyoko introduced her, "Oh, Aiko-chan, this is Chrome-chan. She just transferred here a few weeks ago from Kokuyo Middle School."

Aiko smiled at her and said, "Nice to meet you, Chrome-chan! I hope we become really good friends!"

Chrome blushed and nodded slightly, and then went over to her seat. Aiko and Kyoko were surprised and Aiko looked at her as she walked away. Kyoko then said, "Don't worry, Aiko-chan. She's a little shy around new people. She'll warm up to you soon."

Aiko smiled and nodded. Just then, Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto enter the classroom noisily as Gokudera was pissed off by Yamamoto as usual and Yamamoto was only laughing at him. Tsuna on the other hand was trying to calm Gokudera down. Yamamoto was the first of them to notice Aiko, "Ah! Miyazaki is back!"

Gokudera stopped for a moment and so did Tsuna. They both turned their heads at the same time. They both looked at Aiko.

Aiko smiled at them and said, "_Ohayo minna_!"

"_O-ohayo_," Tsuna said, plainly, still surprised that she was back. "_Ohayo_!" Yamamoto greeted cheerfully. Gokudera whispered to Tsuna , "_Juudaime_, who is that girl? I haven't seen her before."

"Eh?! Gokudera-kun, she's been our classmate since last year! She's been away because she was sick!" Tsuna answered, surprised by Gokudera's statement.

Yamamoto laughed, "Gokudera mustn't have noticed her because Miyazaki was gone for a long time and whenever she's here she tends to be really quiet."

"Oh right," Tsuna said.

And then all three of them approached Aiko and Kyoko, "_Nee_, Miyazaki-san, are you okay now?"

Aiko smiled and nodded.

"Are you sure? You still look a bit pale," Yamamoto said.

"I'm fine, really. I just need to take it easy for a while and take my medicine," Aiko replied.

Just then their teacher walked in. "Alright, alright, settle down class!" he said. Everyone took their seats. As sensei placed his books on the podium, he saw Aiko in her seat, "Ah, I almost forgot, Miyazaki-san is back. Your older brother came by to inform me that you'd be returning to class."

"_Hai sensei_, but Yuuta-niisan was still at home when I left this morning…" Aiko began.

"Really? Don't you have another older brother?" sensei asked.

"Ah _sokka_! Alanzo-niisan said something about visiting us soon, so it must be him!" Aiko said.

Sensei looked a bit confused, so he continued on with the lesson, "Okay, well putting that aside, we'll resume the discussion of the last topic. Miyazaki-san, you have a lot of catching up to do, you can ask one of your classmates for notes."

"_Hai sensei_," Aiko replied.

Then their lesson and their day started.

The bell rang, signalling lunch break. As their teacher walked out, Aiko stretched in her seat. Kyoko and Hana approached her. "Hey Aiko, you can copy notes from us if you'd like," Hana said.

"_Arigato_, Hana-chan," Aiko said.

"Well then, let's have lunch together," Kyoko said.

Aiko smiled and nodded, "Sure." She turned to Chrome and said, "You can join us, too, if you'd like."

Chrome looked at them and blushed.

"Yeah that's right! Then you and Aiko-chan would get to know each other better," Kyoko added.

Just then, the door opened and everyone turned their heads and found…

"Kusakabe-san!" Tsuna exclaimed with a surprised look on his face.

"Kusakabe-senpai?" Aiko said with a confused look on her face.

Kusakabe seemed to be searching the room for someone, just then he saw Aiko and said, "Miyazaki Aiko, you have violated the school rule for returning to school after an excessive amount of absences. The chairman would like to have a word with you."

"_Nani_?!" Tsuna exclaimed. _That sounds made up…_ He then thought to himself, his facial expression reflecting the thought in his head.

"_Juudaime_! Are you alright?" Gokudera asked.

"Yeah Tsuna, you look a bit pale," Yamamoto added.

"Ah _sokka_! _Sumimasen_, Kusakabe-senpai! I'll go meet him right away!" Aiko said, standing up.

"Ah but Aiko!" Kyoko began.

"_Gomennasai_, Kyoko-chan, but maybe tomorrow? I have to go meet the chairman right away or else he'll bite me to death," Aiko said with a smile on her face.

Seeing Aiko smile when she knew fully well that she could be bitten to death, Tsuna's expression turned into a horrified one. He thought to himself, _How can she say that with a smile on her face?!_

"You should bring your lunch with you, Aiko. It sounds like he's not gonna let you slide that easily from punishment," Hana said.

"Okay," Aiko replied, taking her lunch box with her.

As she walked out the door, Kusakabe said to her, "You know where to find him."

"_Hai_!" Aiko said hastened down the hall.

The door to the rooftop opened and Aiko stuck her head to check if there was someone there. And there was someone lying on the floor, taking a nap in the middle of the day. Both of his arms folded under his head while he lay face up. Aiko smiled and blushed just by looking at him sleeping.

Just then the little yellow bird that followed him all the time flew towards her which surprised Aiko a little. She then pressed her finger on her lips to signal to him to be quiet. Hibird landed on her shoulder and she stepped out on to the rooftop and silently closed the door behind her so she wouldn't disturb him.

She quietly approached him and sat in a kneeling position at his head and leaned forward slightly to take a closer look at his sleeping face. Just then, Hibari spoke, "I thought I told you not to disturb me when I'm sleeping."

He then opened his eyes and was surprised to see Aiko. She smiled down on him and said, "_Konnichiwa_, Hibari-san!"

He closed his eyes again and said, "Tsk, so it's you." He then rolled over on his side away from her seemingly resuming his nap.

Aiko smiled and said, "_Sumimasen_, Hibari-san, but you were the one who asked me to come here in the first place."

Hibari turned his head to glance at Aiko and saw the bright smile on her face. He turned his gaze away from her. "Tsk. You haven't changed one bit," he whispered.

Aiko heard him and was confused, "I've only been gone a couple of months because I was in the hospital. I don't think that's enough for a person to change, Hibari-san."

He returned to lie on his back and then he raised his right hand and hit her lightly on her head and said, "_Baka_! You're not supposed to listen to the things that I whisper to myself!"

Aiko smiled, "_Gomennasai_, Hibari-san."

"I told Kusakabe to tell you to find me," Hibari said, looking away again.

"And Kusakabe-senpai did what you asked like he always does so now I'm here," Aiko said, smiling.

A moment of silence fell between the two of them. Hibari was the first to break it, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I got released from the hospital two days ago," Aiko answered.

"Sorry I wasn't able to visit that much. I was busy," Hibari said.

"Its fine I understand," Aiko said.

Hibari glanced back at her again and saw her smiling again. And then, she said, "I just remembered, Yuuta-niisan said that he saw you at the hospital a couple of weeks ago. Did something happen?"

Hibari closed his eyes and remembered what happened a couple weeks ago that got him into the hospital. _The Representative Battle_. He decided he wouldn't tell her because she doesn't have to be involved in any of it. "No. Nothing new happened," he answered, turning away from her.

"I'm so relieved," Aiko replied.

"Why?"

"Yuuta-niisan said that things have become a bit dangerous lately while I was at the hospital. He told me about the students from Nami Middle getting hurt, and then after a while people started going missing. I think Yuuta-niisan said that you went missing around some time during that. And then there have been some explosions going around Namimori town. So I was thinking you might have gone berserk because of all that," Aiko said.

Hibari turned to face her and found her smiling. He asked, "Why are you smiling?"

Aiko looked surprised, "I was smiling?"

"Yeah you were."

"_Gomen ne_, it's a force of habit now I guess."

"Tsk. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"No, but I brought it with me, see?" Aiko answered, showing him her bento.

"Good. You should eat up so you can drink your medicine," Hibari said to her, lying back down on the floor to continue his nap.

"Ah! What about you, Hibari-san?"

"Don't worry about me. You should worry about yourself more," he replied, closing his eyes.

Aiko smiled as she watched him drift off to his dreamland. And then out of nowhere she lightly kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams, Kyoya-kun." She then silently placed herself close to the door so that she wouldn't disturb him while she ate.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that first chapter!

Psst don't forget to review... :)


	2. Her Strange Older Brother

Here's the next one everyone! Enjoy :)

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Chapter 2

It was dismissal time, Aiko, Kyoko, Tsuna, Yamamoto, Shitopi, Enma and a few others got cleaning duties together. Aiko and Kyoko were erasing the black board and Kyoko was telling Aiko about her plans with Haru and Chrome the day after tomorrow after school. Yamamoto and Gokudera were sweeping the floor while arguing again. Enma and Tsuna were arranging their desks and talking. Shitopi was observing Gokudera in the corner while she was wiping the windows from the outside.

Afterwards, Enma and Shitopi went home together ahead of everyone. Aiko and the rest were at the lobby still talking and were changing their shoes. As Aiko opened her locker, a note was left inside. Aiko took it in her hand and read it without Kyoko noticing. Just as she finished reading it, Kyoko spoke, "Are you ready?"

Aiko was startled and immediately closed her hand to hide the note and nodded. Kyoko noticed that she was hiding something and asked, "Is there something wrong, Aiko-chan?"

"_Nandemonai_, Kyoko-chan," Aiko replied.

Just then, Yamamoto, Tsuna and Gokudera appeared at the end of the aisle. "Yo, Miyazaki, Sasagawa, aren't we group mates in the art project?" Yamamoto said.

"Ah _hai_," Kyoko said.

"Why don't we get started with the project and meet up at Tsuna's?" Yamamoto said.

"Oi, _yakyuu baka_! You don't decide these things! Only the boss gets to make decisions!" Gokudera said to Yamamoto. "Right, _Juudaime_?" he added turning to Tsuna.

"Wait, Gokudera-kun! It's fine! I was thinking of the same thing so we don't have to do it at the last minute," Tsuna said.

Yamamoto laughed and said, "Then it's final! Let's all go together!"

Kyoko and Aiko smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'll text Chrome-chan about it," Kyoko said, taking out her phone to do so.

They all then walked together to Tsuna's house.

They arrived at Tsuna's house where they were greeted by Reborn. "_Shitsurei shimasu_!" They said as they took off their shoes as they came in.

Nana stepped out of the kitchen saying "_O kaeri nasai_!" and saw their visitors, "Oh you brought a lot of friends over today, Tsu-kun!"

"_Okaasan_, we're having a group meeting here for our project," Tsuna said.

"Good thinking, Tsuna. It'd be easier for me to supervise your project if you do your meetings here," Reborn said.

Aiko saw Reborn and kneeled, saying, "_Kawaii~_!" She turned to Tsuna and asked, "Sawada-san, is he your cousin?"

"He's Tsuna-kun's tutor, Aiko-chan," Kyoko said.

"_Ciaossu_," Reborn said to Aiko.

"_Okaasan_, we'll be in the living room," Tsuna said.

"Okay, _ganbatte kudasai_!" Nana shouted from the kitchen.

As they sat around the table and discussed how they were going to make their group art project, Chrome arrived. "Chrome-chan, you came!" Kyoko said when Chrome sat down in between her and Aiko.

"So where were we?" Tsuna said as sat down after answering the door.

"We were discussing what form of art we were making for our project," Aiko said.

They were silent for a moment as they each thought of an idea what they were going to suggest.

Reborn asked, "What is your art project about?"

"Well we were grouped by six and we were asked to combine our interests or favourite things into one form of art. It could be anything like a painting or a sculpture or any other form," Tsuna answered.

Yamamoto was first to make a suggestion, "We should make a sculpture of a baseball bat with dynamites, yarn mittens and what other things you guys like!"

Tsuna thought, _That's a bad idea…_

Gokudera voiced it out, "Oi! That's a stupid idea! How would you even be able make something like that?!"

Tsuna tried to calm down Gokudera, "Gokudera-kun, don't shout!" He turned to Yamamoto and said, "I don't think we'd be able to make something like that that easily so we should keep thinking."

Aiko and Kyoko laughed while Chrome just blushed. Aiko turned to Chrome and said, "What about you, Chrome? What do you think we should do?"

"Hm… _Ano_ boss!" Chrome said. And then the whole room became silent and everyone looked at her.

"Yes, Chrome?" Tsuna replied.

"I think we should… make a painting of all our pets in it," Chrome suggested.

"That's a great idea, Chrome-chan!" Kyoko said. Aiko nodded in agreement. Just then, she realized, "Ah I realized that I don't have a pet!"

"That's fine. You can just paint your favourite animal instead," Reborn said.

"Alright, then it's settled!" Tsuna said.

"_Juudaime_! I promise to do my best on this group project with you!" Gokudera said to Tsuna.

"No, Gokudera-kun –"

Just then, Nana came into the living room, "Tsu-kun, why didn't you answer the door? There's a handsome young man outside looking for Aiko-chan."

"_Are_? Me?" Aiko said.

"Yes, he says he's your older brother," Nana replied.

Aiko asked if she could open the glass sliding door to the front yard and Nana gave her permission. Aiko stood up and opened it. She stuck her head out and saw the group of men standing outside wearing suits. She recognized the young man surrounded by his subordinates. "Ben-niisan!"

Ben was tall and had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He turned and saw her, "Aiko-chan! We've been looking all over for you, we were getting worried!"

"Ben-niisan, you didn't have to bring all your friends with you just to look for me!" Aiko said as she stepped out.

Tsuna and the rest looked through the glass door from where they were sitting to see the young man Aiko was talking to. Tsuna was surprised to see that many of men in suits standing outside his house just like the time Dino first came to visit. Looking at Ben, he reminded Tsuna of Dino, except for this dark aura around him that vaguely felt like his killing intent.

Yamamoto and Gokudera felt it too and that made them more alert and subtlety prepared their selves in case someone attacked.

Reborn felt the killing intent coming from Ben, and recognized the young man outside their door. Reborn stepped out to greet him. "Beniamino Armetta," Reborn said.

Only then did Tsuna and the others notice that Reborn left his seat. "Oi Reborn, get back here!" Tsuna shouted.

Aiko and Ben looked at Reborn. "Wow, what a cute little baby," Ben said.

"So she's the rumoured love child, isn't she?" Reborn said.

"Oi Reborn! What are you talking about?!" Tsuna said.

Ben's gaze sharpened. "Aiko-chan, Yuko-obachan is already waiting for you at home. We shouldn't keep her waiting. Go get your things," Ben said, sternly.

Aiko felt nervous because she knew that there's no convincing her older brother otherwise when he starts speaking like that. "_H – Hai_!" Aiko clumsily went back inside to get her things.

While she was gone, Ben said to Reborn, "She is one of the two. Don't get me wrong, Reborn, but we never planned on getting her involved in our world."

"She's already involved even if you continue to hide it from her," Reborn replied.

"So you've heard of her abilities," Ben said with a smirk on his face.

"I've heard rumours."

Just then, Aiko emerged from the front door holding her school bag. "I've already said to Kyoko-chan and the others that I'm going home," Aiko said.

Ben's expression softened a little and said, "Alright, let's go."

As they walked away, Reborn called after Ben, "No matter what you do they're going to go after her!"

When they were gone, Tsuna appeared behind Reborn and said, "Oi Reborn! What was that all about?!"

"We need to talk, Tsuna," Reborn said, ignoring Tsuna's question.

"Tsuna-kun, Chrome-chan and I are going home now," Kyoko said, standing up with Chrome. A second later, they were gone.

"We're heading out now, too, _Juudaime_,"Gokudera said, standing up.

"_Matta ne_," Yamamoto said.

"_Chotto matte_, Yamamoto, Gokudera," Reborn said.

"What's the matter, _kiddo_?" Yamamoto asked.

"We need to talk."

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Hope you liked it :)


	3. Her Family's Situation

Tada! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! :)

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Upstairs in Tsuna's room, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Tsuna sat around his table. "What do you want to talk about, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked.

"That Aiko girl, what do you know about her?" Reborn asked.

"Miyazaki? She's been studying in Nami Middle with us since we were in our 1st year," Yamamoto said.

"But she's been away because of her sickness so she only gets to come back every other month. Although at some point she was gone for longer than that and just came back to school today," Tsuna added.

Reborn nodded as they spoke.

Just then, Gokudera spoke, "There isn't anything odd about Miyazaki, but her older brother… there was something off about him."

"You should have heard of him already, Gokudera. He's the eldest son of the 9th boss of the Armetta family, Beniamino Armetta. He's the first in line to succeed as the 10th boss," Reborn said.

"Armetta? You don't mean that he's mafia?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Yes," Reborn replied.

"If he's a part of the mafia, then why is he here?!" Tsuna asked.

"I've been hearing rumours recently, that the 9th boss, Bertrando Armetta, had a child outside of marriage. Also, according to another source, that child has a special ability almost like Fuuta's ranking ability, but I haven't been able to find out more on these rumours because we were busy with the Inheritance Ceremony and the Representative Battle," Reborn answered.

"What is it, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked.

"The ability to gain knowledge on any particular person or subject they've seen or heard of. This is different from Fuuta's ranking ability. From what I've heard, this ability is activated during the person's sleep after they have heard of or interacted with the subject. The longer their sleep, the more data they gain," Reborn replied.

"No way… is that even possible?" Tsuna said.

Reborn kicked Tsuna in the face, "_Dame_-Tsuna, have you learned nothing after so many months of training, battles and time travel?"

Yamamoto laughed, "_Maa maa_, calm down, but I don't see how it isn't possible after everything we've been through, don't you think so?"

"Then, do you have any idea who that child with the special ability is?" Tsuna said, rubbing the part of his face that Reborn kicked.

"After seeing Beniamino here, I was able to narrow it down to Miyazaki Aiko… but before they left, Beniamino said that Aiko was only one of the two illegitimate children of Bertrando."

"Then who is the other one?" Gokudera asked.

"Who knows…" Reborn said.

"Didn't Miyazaki mention she had another older brother at class today? 'Yuuta', was it?" Yamamoto said.

"Ah! That's right! Maybe he's the other child!" Tsuna said.

"We can't be sure of that yet. For all we know, Yuuta is their mother's child with another man," Reborn countered.

"How can you make an assumption like that?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"If Aiko is an illegitimate child, do you think her older brother wouldn't be?" Reborn said.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Just then, Lambo and I-pin come running into the room. Lambo was holding two lollipops, and it seemed that one of them belonged to I-pin. "Hahaha, these are Lambo-san's lollipops!"

"No Lambo! One of those is I-pin's!" I-pin said.

"Oi! Can't you see that we're busy here?!" Gokudera shouted at Lambo and I-pin.

"Ah la la la, _aho-dera_, I know deep down inside you want to play with me. If you play with me I'll give you one of my lollipops," Lambo said to Gokudera, flaunting the lollipops in his hand.

Suddenly, Reborn kicked Lambo out the door. "Go play somewhere else, _aho ushi_!" Reborn then turned to them and said, "Stay close to this girl, but not too close. We don't want Beniamino to think that we're here to harm his sister."

"But Reborn, are we here to harm her?" Tsuna asked.

"No, I just want to know more about them," Reborn said.

"So what happens if we got to know more about them?" Yamamoto asked.

"Then we'll meet up again and talk about it then."

Aiko arrived home safely with Beniamino and his subordinates escorting her. "_Tadaima_!" Aiko said as she removed her shoes. Fast footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen that said someone was running and out came Yuuta, Aiko's older brother. Yuuta was full head taller than Aiko. He had light brown hair and sharp eyes that changed colour from brown to blue from time to time, right now they were blue.

"Aiko!" Yuuta exclaimed as he ran towards her.

"_Oniisan_!" Aiko replied.

Yuuta pulled her behind him and raised his fist at Ben. "_Teme_! What took you so long to bring my sister home?!"

"_Oniisan_, calm down!" Aiko said.

"Tsk, calm down, Yuuta. She's home now, isn't she?" Ben replied.

Aiko went to the kitchen and then the living room before she asked, "Yuuta-niisan, where's Mama?"

"She went out," Yuuta answered.

"Where did she go?" Aiko asked.

"Papa is here," Ben answered.

"Papa is here?!" Aiko exclaimed, looking at Yuuta.

Yuuta glanced at Ben. "They went out for dinner," Ben said, crossing his arms at his chest.

"You should go upstairs and change," Yuuta said to Aiko.

"Are we going out, too?" Aiko asked them.

"No, Papa and Yuko-obachan have something to talk about among themselves, Aiko," Ben said sternly.

"I've already made dinner, Aiko, don't worry," Yuuta reassured her. He turned to Ben and said, "You're welcome to join us if you want to."

"I have a meeting to attend to tonight, so I'll pass," Ben reasoned.

"I see. Well then thanks for escorting Aiko home," Yuuta said, plainly.

"I'll take my leave now. Good night, Yuuta, Aiko," Ben said, turning to leave.

"Take care, Ben-niisan!" Aiko said to him while Yuuta just went straight to the kitchen.

"_Ciao_," Ben said as he went out the door.

When he was gone, Aiko rushed to the kitchen and said, "_Oniisan_! Why did you do that?"

"What?"

"You were being rude to Ben-niisan!"

"Just so you know, Aiko, if it somehow slipped your mind, Ben and our other 'siblings' don't really like us," Yuuta said as he set plates on their dining table.

"If you keep doing that then you're just giving them more reason to not like us!" Aiko reasoned.

Yuuta took a deep breath and was silent for a moment. "We'll talk later. Go upstairs and change."

Aiko narrowed her eyes at Yuuta while he kept on a plain face. His sharp blue eyes didn't falter while she glared at his with hers. When he didn't react, she turned quickly and stomped up the stairs.

The following morning, Aiko woke up early and made breakfast and also their lunches. She was halfway through on making their lunches when their mother entered the kitchen. "O_hayo_, Mama!" Aiko greeted her mother as she continued on her task.

"Aiko-chan, you're up early. What are you up to?" Yuko said as she walked over to Aiko who was at the counter cutting some vegetables.

"I'm making lunches, Mama," Aiko answered.

Yuko checked on what her daughter was making and said, "My, you're making a lot. Do you think Yuuta-kun would be very hungry today at school?"

"Not really, but I was thinking of sharing my lunch with someone today," Aiko said as her cheeks turned a light pink.

"_Are_? Aiko-chan, you're blushing!" Yuko said, teasingly as she pointed at her daughter's face.

"What? No, Mama, I'm not!" Aiko said as her face turned even redder.

As Yuko continued to tease Aiko about blushing, Yuuta appeared at the doorway saying, "_Yare yare_, it's so noisy down here, what's going on?" His now brown eyes were still half asleep.

"_Ohayo_, Yuuta-kun, Aiko-chan is making an extra-large bento today to bring to school so she could share it with her crush!" Yuko told Yuuta.

"Mama, don't tell _Oniisan_!" Aiko said.

"_Nani_?! Don't tell me you're making lunch for that Hibari kid!" Yuuta said. "You know I don't like that kid very much!"

Aiko pouted and said, "He has a name you know!"

"I don't care! I don't like that kid and you shouldn't be hanging out with him!" Yuuta replied.

"_Maa maa_, Yuuta-kun, Aiko-chan, you shouldn't fight! Aiko-chan, since you're finished making your lunches, you go sit down next to your brother while I make you breakfast," Yuko smiled trying to calm them down.

"Okay," Aiko said, pouting.

"Fine," Yuuta sat down at the table and so did Aiko.

They sat silently, ignoring each other as their mother was busy cooking for them. Even while they were eating they didn't talk. Aiko was the first to leave the house for school.

As he headed for another day of college, Yuko saw him out. "_Ittekimasu_!" Yuuta said as he headed out the door.

"_Itterasshai_, Yuu-kun!" Yuko said. As he went out the door, Yuko almost forgot to hand him his bento. "Ah Yuu-kun, you almost forgot your bento! Aiko-chan worked hard making this for you."

Yuuta took the bento and said, "_Arigato_, Mama." And at that, he left.

"Don't overwork yourself today, Yuu-kun!" Yuko called after him.

* * *

well that's it for now. I'll post the next one in a few days.


	4. An Intrusion

I'll just leave this here :)

* * *

Chapter 4

The bell rang signalling it was lunch break. Aiko quickly got up from her seat and was about to walk out the door when Hana called her, "Oi, Aiko, where are you off to?"

"Ah Hana-chan, _ano_, I'm just going to…" Aiko faltered. She couldn't think of a good excuse so that she could go to the rooftop to see Kyoya without them being suspicious.

"Oh, Miyazaki, are you in trouble again?" Yamamoto said.

"Ah no, that's not it," Aiko said.

"Aiko-chan, aren't we going to eat lunch together?" Kyoko said.

"Yeah, um... it's just that, I'm just going to give something to someone," Aiko said, her cheeks turning a light pink again.

"Oh? Aiko, you know it's not Valentine's Day for you to be giving chocolates to your crush!" Hana teased.

"I'm not giving chocolates to my crush, Hana-chan!" Aiko protested.

"Then why are you blushing?" Yamamoto joined in.

Aiko pouted, her face turning redder by the second. "_Chigao yo_!" And then she went out the door and ran off.

Yamamoto and Hana watched her run as fast as she could from their classroom door. "Should we follow her?" Yamamoto asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Aiko is a really shy girl and if this is something about her crush, I think it would be better we didn't meddle into her business," Hana answered.

"Che, Yamamoto have you forgotten what Reborn-san asked us to do?" Gokudera said sitting with his arms folded behind his head and his feet up on his desk.

"No of course not, but we should respect a girl's privacy after all," Yamamoto replied.

"Whatever," Gokudera said.

.

The door to the rooftop opened slightly, Aiko peeked to see if Kyoya was there. "Who's there?" a voice menacingly said, startling her.

She opened the door even further and saw him. He took one look at her and then turned away, saying, "What are you doing here?"

"I just came by to give you this," Aiko said, showing him the bento that she made earlier in the morning.

"I don't need that," Kyoya said without even looking at what she was holding.

"_Demo demo_! Hibari-san didn't eat anything for lunch yesterday, so I thought I'd make him some so he wouldn't get hungry," Aiko said. She rushed to his side and then opened it. Kyoya glanced at the open bento and saw that she made his favourite dish. She took a piece of the hamburger steak and held it out for him to take, "Here, I made your favourite."

Kyoya looked at her and saw persistence in her eyes. He sighed, "You're going to be very persistent about this, aren't you?"

Aiko nodded, still holding the piece of hamburger steak out for him to eat. Kyoya sighed. He glanced at Aiko and saw that she wasn't backing down. Finally he opened his mouth and took the piece of steak off the chopsticks. Aiko smiled, proud of herself that she'd gotten Hibari Kyoya to eat the food that she made for him out of persistence. "How is it?" she asked.

"_Oishii_," Kyoya said with a hint of annoyance.

Aiko pouted. "Do you like it or not?"

Kyoya swallowed, "I can eat by myself, you know. I'm not a child. Anyway, aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah! I almost forgot I left mine at the classroom so I'd be able to eat with Kyoko-chan and the others today," Aiko said.

Kyoya took the bento from her and said, "Then get going. You don't need to take care of me. I can take care of myself."

Aiko smiled and then she leaned forward and kissed Kyoya on the cheek, surprising him. "Eat well, Kyoya-kun," Aiko muttered.

As Aiko headed for the door, she saw the little hedgehog that belonged to Kyoya lying on the floor close to the door. She leaned down to take a closer look at him. "_Kawaii~_!" Aiko exclaimed. She turned to Kyoya and asked, "Is he yours, Kyoya-kun?"

"Roll, move out of the girl's way. You're distracting her," Kyoya said as he ate. Roll obeyed his master and crawled towards him. He curled into a ball close to Kyoya and looked at Aiko shyly.

Aiko giggled, "He's a cute little hedgehog, Kyoya-kun." Kyoya ignored her as he continued to eat. She smiled and said, "Well, I'm going now so I won't annoy you anymore." And at that she was gone.

When she was gone, Kyoya smiled as he finished the food that she made for him.

.

Aiko came back to their classroom with a big smile on her face. As she took her seat, and placed her own bento on the desk, Hana commented on the look on her face, "I'm guessing it went well judging from the look on your face."

"Huh?" Aiko became flustered and her face turned red.

Hana and Kyoko giggled. "I thought so," Hana said.

"_Nee_ Aiko-chan, who is he?" Kyoko asked her.

"What? Why do you want to know?" Aiko said, her face turning even redder.

Hana nudged her with her elbow and said, "Come on, Aiko. Who's the lucky guy?"

Aiko just blushed and said, "_Gomen ne_ but I can't tell you guys."

"_Are_? Why not?" Hana asked.

"Don't you want to tell us?" Kyoko added.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that if I tell you, he's going to be mad at me," Aiko answered, not looking directly at them.

"Ah! Then he's not just a crush now, is he?" Kyoko said.

"Aiko, is something going on between you and… whoever he is?" Hana said.

"_Eto_…" Aiko began. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain her relationship with Hibari Kyoya, the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of Namimori Middle School, without giving too much away, especially because Hibari doesn't want anyone to know about them.

Fortunately for Aiko, Yamamoto approached them and said, "Yo, Miyazaki, Nakamura-sensei wants us to get a few things from upstairs for our lesson later at afternoon break."

"Ah _hai_," Aiko replied.

"Ah and Chrome, too," Yamamoto said looking around their classroom for her but she was nowhere to be found. "Hm? She isn't here right now. I guess we'll tell her later," Yamamoto added.

"Yeah," Aiko nodded.

"_Ja ne_," Yamamoto then walked away from them.

.

A few hours later, Yamamoto, Aiko, Chrome and Tsuna were bringing down books and visual aids from the classroom on the floor above theirs. Aiko and Chrome were carrying the visual aids while Yamamoto and Tsuna were carrying the books. Yamamoto and Tsuna were walking behind Aiko and Chrome who were talking.

"_Nee_ Chrome-chan, Kyoko-chan tells me you like to cook," Aiko attempted to start the conversation.

Chrome nodded, "Yes. I've been trying to make different dishes and I'm starting to get the hang of it."

"Eh? _Sugoi_, Chrome-chan! I've only tried out a few dishes myself, but I'm pretty good at baking. Have you ever tried to bake a cake or maybe cupcakes?" Aiko asked.

"No, I haven't, but I'd like to try something," Chrome answered, shyly.

Behind them, Tsuna and Yamamoto were whispering to each other. Tsuna was thinking to himself, _I don't think I should be eavesdropping on Miyazaki-san and Chrome. It doesn't feel right._

"Hey Tsuna," Yamamoto called his attention.

"Yamamoto, what is it?" Tsuna asked.

"I don't think we'd get anything relevant from their conversation so I'm sure it's okay if we don't listen in," Yamamoto whispered to him.

Tsuna looked at the two girls. _Yamamoto's right. They're just talking about cooking._ "Yeah, you're right. Reborn wouldn't be too stiff about it."

Just then, Aiko's head began to spin but she didn't let the others know. She felt like it was going to burst… but more importantly, it felt like someone was invading her mind. And then out of nowhere everything went black.

Aiko's foot slipped as she took a step down the stairs and she fell to the floor of the hallway.

"_Abunai_!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"_Itetete_…"

Chrome, Yamamoto and Tsuna rushed to her side. "Miyazaki-san!" Tsuna exclaimed.

Chrome knelt next to Aiko and placed the things she was carrying next to her, "_Daijobu_, Aiko-san?"

Just then, both Yamamoto and Tsuna noticed that there was a ring hanging from a chain around Aiko's neck. Neither of the two made a comment on it but they glanced at each other as if sharing a mental conversation.

Aiko forced a smile and nodded, but as she tried to stand up she felt a jolt of pain at her right ankle and didn't attempt to do so again. "_Sumimasen_, I think I sprained my ankle," Aiko said.

Chrome looked worriedly at her. She didn't know what she was going to do. And as people started crowding around them, Yamamoto asked, "Miyazaki, what happened back there?"

"I felt a little dizzy back there and lost my footing," Aiko answered.

Just then, a voice spoke with the evilest intent, "Why are you all crowding?"

The crowd parted to make way for the one and only Hibari Kyoya.

"Eeeek! It's Hibari-san!" Tsuna exclaimed with a horrified expression on his face.

Hibari glanced at the people who were crowding around with his sharp grey eyes. He held his tonfa at the ready and asked them, "How long are you going to crowd around here?"

Immediately, the crowd stepped back and dispersed. Hibari withdrew his tonfa and turned back to Aiko and the others. "_Sumimasen_, Hibari-san," Aiko apologized.

Hibari knelt at her side and placed his hand on her ankle that was sprained and she winced. "You sprained your ankle," Hibari said.

"She slipped down the stairs earlier," Yamamoto said.

Hibari stood up carrying Aiko in his arms, surprising the other three. He began to walk away when he suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "You there," he said, regarding Tsuna.

Tsuna panicked and said, "_Hai_!"

"Clean this mess up before I get back," Hibari said and went on his way.

As he walked away carrying Aiko in his arms, Aiko whispered, "_Gomen nasai_, Hibari-san."

"Well, we should get all this stuff to the classroom before Hibari gets back," Yamamoto said with a smile on his face.

Chrome nodded in agreement. "Boss, are you alright?"

Tsuna nodded stiffly as he leaned down to help Chrome in picking up the stuff Aiko dropped. And then they quickly brought the books and visual aids to the classroom.


	5. A Moment to Hold On To

So I just discovered that Hibari Kyoya is EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD!

Okay give me a moment...

Okay, I just, okay, feelssss man, feelsss!

Anyway I calculated and the age problem isn't going to ruin the story plot so it's all good.

* * *

Chapter 5

Kyoya brought Aiko to the clinic and found it empty. "_Are_? The school nurse isn't here?" Aiko said.

"The new school doctor they hired is a pervert and spends most of his time trying to flirt or hook up with the girls around here, so it's better that he isn't present right now," Kyoya said, seating her on the empty bed.

He looked through the drawers for bandages to wrap around her sprained ankle. And as he did so, Aiko apologized again, "_Gomen nasai_, Hibari-san."

Kyoya found what he was looking for and pulled a stool towards her. "What happened back there?" he asked as he started on wrapping her sprained ankle.

She winced again. "I felt a little dizzy and blacked out a little," Aiko answered.

"Did you drink your medicine earlier today?" Kyoya asked.

"Yes I did… but the thing is, it wasn't like the usual dizziness I experience," Aiko said.

"What do you mean?" Kyoya asked.

"It felt like my head was being invaded, like someone was trying to take control of my mind," Aiko explained, placing her hand on her head.

When he heard her say that, he stopped for a second without Aiko noticing. And then, Kyoya finished wrapping her ankle and said, "Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?"

Aiko shook her head, "At first I thought I was just getting a little nauseated, but something felt off. It felt like my consciousness was being put aside so a different one could enter… but then I blacked out."

"Maybe that's your body's own way of self-defence from something like that, like a computer that forcedly shuts down on its own to prevent any damage that would be inflicted on the software," Kyoya said to her.

Aiko smiled and nodded in agreement.

"But…" Kyoya began. Aiko looked at him as he spoke again, "If someone _was_ trying to take control of you, then there's a possibility that they're going to do that again."

"Huh? You don't mean that such a thing is possible?" Aiko said with a confused look on her face.

Kyoya paused for a moment. He wasn't sure if he was going to tell her of the things that he's seen, the battles he's been through, the truths that he discovered. He didn't want to get her involved in the mess he's in by telling her what he knew… but after hearing that there's someone out there trying to take control of her, he realized that she was already in it. He wasn't sure why they wanted to take control of her or what they wanted, but one thing was for certain, Aiko is in danger.

He decided that it would be better if he told her rather than keep things from her that affected her. "These past months a lot of things happened, Aiko. You may not believe me but after seeing and experiencing the things that I have, I could honestly tell you that it's possible for someone to take control of you."

"What are you talking about, Kyoya-kun?" Aiko asked, the look on her face told him that she was nervous and was dreading whatever it was he was going to say as if she already knew what it was.

"These past months that you were gone, I've fought many battles with different people, ranging from illusionists to swordsmen, who proved to be as strong as I am. I fought hard and won against them," Kyoya said. "Aiko, you should know that there are extraordinary, fearsome people out there who would do anything to get what they want by any means they deem necessary... I don't know who it is and what they want from you, but they will try to take full control of you," Kyoya leaned forward, placing her hands on the bed she was sitting on close to her hips. His face was so close to hers she could feel his breath on her lips, his sharp grey eyes looking into her bright blue eyes. Her cheeks turned a pink as she gazed back into his. He spoke "And if that happens again…"

And then he leaned in closer and kissed her, her eyes widened in surprise. The sudden sensation of his warm lips on hers paralyzed her for a second, and when that second passed, she began to kiss him back. He kissed her even harder and deeper. Aiko moaned into his mouth as they continued with their sweet exchange.

It soon ended when Kyoya pulled away from Aiko, resting his forehead against hers. Again, his grey eyes gazed into hers. "I want you to hold on to that moment. I want you to use it to fuel your will and fight for control over yourself against whatever is trying to do so and don't ever let go of it, do you understand?"

Aiko simply nodded, unable to get out of the daze from their kiss. Kyoya straightened up and turned away from her, "I have to go now. Wait for me at the lobby after school."

As he headed for the door, Aiko called after him, "_Ano_ Hibari-san!" Kyoya stopped at the door, not bothering to glance back at her. "… _Arigato_," Aiko said.

"Don't strain yourself when you walk back to class." And at that he was gone.

.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine, Aiko-chan?" Kyoko asked her as they stood at the main lobby. The look on her face showed that she was obviously worried about her. Beside her was Chrome, who also looked a bit worried about Aiko.

Aiko nodded, "I'm fine, don't worry about me, Kyoko-chan."

"Why don't we all walk home together?" Kyoko suggested.

"No, I'm fine, really! Don't worry too much, Kyoko-chan," Aiko said with a smile on her face.

Kyoko still looked reluctant, but she gave in, "Alright, Aiko-chan. You should be careful and not strain your ankle too much."

"Yeah I will," Aiko replied.

Kyoko turned to Chrome and said, "Let's go now, Chrome."

As Kyoko turned around, Chrome spoke, "_Ano_, Aiko-san…"

Aiko seemed a bit surprised, "Yes, Chrome-chan is there something wrong?"

"_Sumimasen_," Chrome said, bowing at Aiko.

Aiko was surprised by this and said, "Chrome-chan, don't worry about it! It's not your fault! I just got dizzy because of walking around too much and carry those books earlier."

"_Demo_…" Chrome began.

"Don't worry about it, Chrome-chan. I slipped on my own fault, so there's no harm done," Aiko said.

Chrome looked down on the floor and muttered to herself, "But… I could've done something to stop them…"

"Chrome-chan," Aiko called her. Chrome looked up at her and saw her smiling, "I'm fine now, there's nothing to worry about, okay?"

Chrome straightened up and nodded. Kyoko stood next to Chrome and said to her, "Let's go, Chrome."

As they walked away, Aiko said, "Take care, both of you."

"You, too, Aiko-chan!" Kyoko said as she waved back at her.

When they were gone, Kyoya appeared behind Aiko. "You have really nice friends, Aiko."

Aiko was startled and said, "Hibari-san, you startled me."

Kyoya then crouched in front of her as if to carry her on his back, "Come on. Let's go."

Aiko was surprised by Kyoya doing so and blushed. "Hibari-san, it's okay. I can walk okay now. My ankle doesn't hurt that much."

"Hurry up and get on my back already. If we don't start on our way now, your brother and I will cross paths again and I know that you don't want that," Kyoya said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Aiko pouted as she remembered the last time Kyoya and Yuuta saw each other a few years back. After a minute, she reluctantly said, "Okay." And then when she climbed onto his back, he straightened up and started for Aiko's house.

They were quiet until they were at the river, Aiko spoke, "_Nee_ Hibari-san –"

"'Kyoya'."

"Huh?"

"I thought we talked about it before. When we're alone, you can call me 'Kyoya'."

Aiko smiled and said, "Kyo-kun, I know that even if I ask about what happened these past few months, you won't say anything more."

"Yeah, your point being..?"

"Nothing, just… I understand if you don't want to tell me, because I have nothing to do with it all. It's just that I don't want you to get hurt or overwork yourself. You hardly ever sleep at night and during the day you just take naps in between patrolling all around the school and town to impose discipline. And then while you go around town, you come across people who get on your nerves, most of them would probably just do as you say to avoid any chaos, but there are those who would oppose you. And I know that you never back down in a fight," Aiko said, snuggling closer to Kyoya.

"In battle, there will always be injuries. Neither party will be left unscathed… but you should be well aware that no matter what, I will always bite my opponent to death," Kyoya said.

Aiko didn't answer. Kyoya glanced at her and found her sound asleep. He smiled. He didn't bother to wake her up and continued to head for her house.

.

When they were a few blocks away from Aiko's house, Kyoya suddenly stopped. "Aiko, wake up. There's a group of men outside your house with intense murderous intent."

Aiko opened her eyes sleepily. When she saw that there was a group of men in suits outside their house, she suddenly became alert. In the middle of the group, she found her older brother, Alanzo. Alanzo was almost as tall as Yuuta as they were both the same age. Alanzo had blond hair like Beniamino, but his eyes were of different colours, his right eye was blue, his left eye was brown. He and his men seemed to be waiting outside.

"That's Alanzo-niisan and his friends!" Aiko said. Aiko then got off Kyoya's back and began pushing him "oya'me,hem. ere and saw them. "s left eye was brown. on his way, saying, "You have to go!"

"What? Why?" Kyoya said, resisting.

"This is you and my brother and his friends we're talking about here! Who knows what will happen?!" Aiko said to him.

There was a ghost of a smile on Kyoya's face, probably because he was amused at Aiko's concern for him and her brother. "What about your ankle?"

"I'll be fine! Just go!" Aiko pushed him even harder. This strained her ankle and she lost her balance because of the pain.

Kyoya grabbed hold of her and gently seated her on the ground, saying, "See. You strained your ankle now."

When this happened, Alanzo heard their voices and turned and saw Kyoya kneeling with his other knee bent up, checking Aiko's ankle. Alanzo rushed over to them, saying, "Aiko! What happened?!"

"Ah! Alanzo-niisan!" Aiko exclaimed as he kneeled next to her.

He saw that her right ankle was wrapped in a bandage. He looked at Kyoya with seriousness in his eyes and said, "What happened?"

Kyoya looked back at Alanzo and sensed that he was strong and dangerous. There was some kind of murderous intent coming from him that if Kyoya answered his question wrongly, they would enter into an intense battle. "She slipped down the stairs and sprained her ankle."

"Is that true?" Alanzo turned to Aiko.

"Yes, I got a little dizzy earlier while my classmates and I were bringing some stuff down to our classroom and lost my footing," Aiko answered.

"Did you drink your medicine?" Alanzo asked her, a tone of worry in his voice.

"Yes I did. I probably just overworked myself," Aiko said trying to calm Alanzo down.

Alanzo sighed. "Don't worry us like that."

"_Gomen nasai_, Alanzo-niisan," Aiko said.

Alanzo patted her head. "Yuuta's gonna be made when he finds out." He then turned to Kyoya, "Thanks for walking her home."

Kyoya stood up, "I'll be on my way now. You should rest your ankle." He turned and walked away.

As he walked away, Alanzo shook his head in amusement. He turned to Aiko and said, "He's a weird one, isn't he? That Hibari Kyoya…"

Aiko blushed and nodded. Alanzo patted her head again and said, "Come on, we've been waiting for you to get home. Yuko-obachan wasn't home when we arrived, so we were waiting for you to get home. Ben-aniki went to get Yuuta."

"Why? What's going on?" Aiko asked as Alanzo helped her stand up.

"Papa wants to talk to the both of you," Alanzo simply answered.

As Alanzo supported Aiko as they walked towards the house, Alanzo's men approached them, saying, "Boss, Master Beniamino is on his way back with Master Yuuta."

"Alright," Alanzo said. They both walked inside. Alanzo asked her, "Do you need some help up the stairs?"

Aiko shook her head, "I'll be fine."

"Alright, you should rest. I'll call you when they're here," Alanzo said.

Aiko nodded and went up the stairs.

* * *

BTW Alanzo and Yuuta are the same age. And they're a year older than Kyoya sooooooooooooo it's all good :D


	6. A Memory and a Gift

Sorry guys, writing chapter 8 took longer than expected sooooo here's Chapter 6 for you :)

* * *

Chapter 6

Aiko sat on her bed when she finished changing. She glanced at the picture frame on her desk. She smiled as she saw her friends from the day care center in the picture they took when they went to the zoo when she was younger. She saw her friends smiling brightly like she was, but the one that caught her eye was the dark haired boy with bored grey eyes. He wasn't smiling, even looked sleepy.

Aiko hugged the stuffed bear Yuuta won for her during one summer festival and reminisced that very day she first spoke to him.

.

The whole day care went on a field trip to the zoo. They were looking at the elephants, and everyone was gathering around the elephants' pen. As their teacher talked about the elephants, she noticed that there was one boy who wasn't with the group. He was hugging his knees as he petted a duckling, ignoring the other children who were running around and jumping just to see the elephants.

She ignored him at first because she thought he didn't like elephants, but as the morning went on, she noticed that he preferred to be alone than to group with anyone. During lunch, Aiko was sitting on a picnic blanket with her mom and a few of her friends and their parents. As her other friends were laughing together, she was watching that little boy she saw earlier who was petting a little duckling. Now he was sitting under a tree with his grandfather. It was just the two of them. Whenever someone came close, he would glare at them.

Her mom noticed and asked, "Aiko-chan, is there something wrong?"

Aiko shook her head.

Yuko placed her hand on Aiko's little head and asked, "Are you sure?"

Aiko frowned and finally said, "Mama, I saw that boy earlier petting a little duckling." She pointed at the boy and his grandfather.

"Hm? There's nothing wrong about that, sweetie," Yuko said to her.

Aiko pouted and said, "But Mama, he wasn't paying attention to the teacher! He was always standing away from the group all by himself."

"Maybe he just doesn't like the lesson," Yuko said to her.

"It's not that, Mama," Aiko said.

"Then what's bothering you?"

Aiko was silent for a moment. She glanced at the boy who was eating lunch with his grandfather under the shade of the tree. She frowned and finally said, "I think he's lonely and sad."

Yuko smiled and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "Why don't you befriend him?"

Aiko looked up at her and asked, "Can I?"

Yuko smiled and said, "Well if it bothers you that he's lonely, why don't you be friends with him? So he won't be sad anymore."

Aiko smiled and nodded in agreement.

When they finished eating, Aiko asked for a few cookies from her mom and approached the little boy while his grandfather went to the comfort room. He still sat under the shade of the tree and was now reading a book. She looked back at her mom and saw Yuko smile and sent her an encouraging gesture. Aiko then continued to approach him.

When she was directly in front of him, she smiled and said, "_Konnichiwa_!"

The boy simply looked up from his book and his bored grey eyes seemed to be sizing her up. And then he returned to reading his book and ignored her. Aiko pouted and turned to her mom. Yuko sent her another encouraging gesture. Aiko then sat in front of him and asked, "What's your name?"

He continued to read on and ignore her. She then held out the cookies she asked for from her mom, "Here, I brought these for you."

He didn't even give her a second glance. Just then, his grandfather returned. He was tall. He had graying hair and grey eyes the same as the boy's. "Ah, who's this cute little girl, Kyoya?" the grandfather said to him.

Kyoya muttered, "I don't know but she's annoying."

Aiko pouted, and then Kyoya's grandfather turned to her, "What's your name?"

"I'm Aiko. I just came over to say 'hi' and give him some of the cookies my mama made," Aiko said, showing him the cookies she held in her hands. "I saw him petting a little duckling earlier, and thought he might be lonely. And I told Mama about it and she said that I could be friends with him so he wouldn't be lonely anymore."

His grandfather smiled and sat next to him, patting his head, "Did you hear that, Kyoya? She said she wants to be friends with you."

Kyoya didn't speak. He just continued to read the book in his hand. His grandfather ruffled his hair and just smiled. Aiko pouted again, and then, she stood up and stepped closer to him. She then blocked his view of the page he was reading by placing her hands that held the cookies over the book. Finally, Kyoya looked up at her from his book and he was surprised to see her smiling.

She then said, "This is for you. Let's be friends now, okay?" She took his hand and gave him the cookies.

Kyoya just stared at the cookies in his hand for a moment before he looked back up at her and muttered, "_Arigato_…"

Aiko's smile grew even wider and she said, "You're welcome. Now you don't have to be alone anymore." She then skipped away to return to her mom.

And then throughout the rest of the day, Aiko would always go out of her way to accompany Kyoya all around the zoo with the other students of the day care.

.

Aiko was brought back to the present when she heard someone running up the stairs hastily and calling her name with a worried tone. And then her door swung open fiercely and Alanzo and Yuuta appeared at the doorway. Aiko was startled by them, "Yuuta-niisan! Alanzo-niisan! Did something bad happen?"

"_Baka_! We all thought you fainted again!" Yuuta said.

"Calm down, Yuuta, she's okay. That's what matters right now," Alanzo said trying to calm him down.

"_Gomen nasai_, _oniisan_," Aiko said, hugging the stuffed animal tighter guiltily.

Yuuta sighed and turned to leave, "Papa is here now. He says he has something to say."

"Is Mama back yet?" Aiko asked.

"No," Yuuta answered as he left.

When he was gone, Alanzo turned to Aiko and said, "Come on, Papa has a lot to say."

"Ah _hai_!" Aiko shuffled to her feet and followed after Alanzo.

.

As Aiko entered the living room, she was a bit shocked to find that it was just herself, Yuuta, Alanzo, Beniamino… and their father. "Papa!" Aiko exclaimed.

Bertrando smiled and she came running into his arms. "My, my, you've grown so much over the past year, Aiko."

"Papa, Alanzo-niisan said that you had something to tell us," Aiko said as she pulled away from him.

Bertrando nodded, "Yes, there is something I want to talk to you and Yuuta about."

Aiko sat beside Yuuta while Alanzo sat behind their father and Beniamino was leaning against the wall behind their father as if he wasn't interested or involved in the upcoming conversation. Yuuta was the first to speak, "What is it that you want to say?"

"There have been many events recently that made me decide that it's finally the right time that you received the gifts from our ancestors," Bertrando said to them.

Yuuta and Aiko looked confused. "Papa, I don't understand," Aiko said.

Alanzo and Beniamino placed two black decorated boxes the size of a regular briefcase side by side on the table in front of Aiko and Yuuta.

"I cannot go into details on what's happening as of yet, but there are some important measures we must take," Bertrando said.

And then, Alanzo and Beniamino opened the boxes and revealed what was inside. In the one in front of Yuuta was a beautifully decorated flanged mace the colour of gold and white while inside the one in front of Aiko was a number of silver feather shaped daggers. Both Yuuta and Aiko were perplexed.

"Papa, what's this?" Aiko asked. The look on her face showed that she was troubled by the items that were presented to them.

"We don't need these, we're not part of your family," Yuuta said with rage in his voice.

"Yuuta-niisan," Aiko said worriedly, touching his arm to calm him down.

Ben began to clench his fists, "Why you little –"

"That's enough, Beniamino," Bertrando warned him. He turned to Yuuta and Aiko and said, "This isn't just a matter of family names, Yuuta. Either way, you and Aiko are in danger because of your abilities."

Both of them were shocked. Yuuta's eyes narrowed in rage while Aiko looked scared. Yuuta spoke, "Is this what you and Mama talked about the other night?"

"No. Your mother doesn't know about this. She doesn't have to. She's already stressed enough so let's keep this between us, alright?" Bertrando said to them.

"Then what do you suppose we do with these? Tell her that these are just a bunch of collectibles you wanted us to have? And then what? We don't even know how to fight! Did you even consider Aiko's anaemia?" Yuuta argued.

"And Papa, I don't even know how to use these, so why give them to me?" Aiko said regarding the sparkling feather shaped daggers inside the box in front of her.

"I want you to be safe. And don't worry about not knowing how to use those. Your brothers will teach you," Bertrando said. "That way you'll get to bond with each other."

Ben glanced at Alanzo and their gazes met. Yuuta glared at them as he suspected that they were thinking the same thing as he was. Their father knew of their quarrels and of course their dislike for each other.

"Yuuta, Ben will teach you how to use the flanged mace. As for you Aiko, Alanzo will be the one to train you," Bertrando said to them.

Yuuta glared at Ben and the latter reflected his expression to him. Alanzo smiled at Aiko and gave her a thumbs-up to assure her. Bertrando sighed, "Do you have your rings?"

Yuuta sighed as he nodded. Aiko then looked worried. As Yuuta reached for the chain around his neck, Aiko glanced at him nervously as she clenched her fist around the object around her neck underneath her shirt.

Yuuta met her shaky blue eyes with his now sharp blue ones and nodded at her. And then they simultaneously removed the chain from their necks and dangled the rings in front of them, both of which are of the same design and colour: silver with thorny vine designs on the ring, the only difference was the colour of the gemstones with an engraved rose on it which then were suddenly covered with flames. The one that Yuuta held were covered with strong orange flames while the one that Aiko held were covered with weak sparkling light blue and white flames.

Bertrando nodded at Yuuta's strong flames but then sighed with worry in his eyes at Aiko's weak flames. The room was silent for a moment before Bertrando said, "Alright your training starts the day after tomorrow. Alanzo and Ben will take good care of you two, so don't worry." He stood up, "We must be on our way." Alanzo and Ben followed suit.

"Ah okay, Papa," Aiko said, standing up as well. Yuuta then did the same when the three men were headed for the door.

When they were out the door, Alanzo turned to face them and said, "You two rest up. The first phase of your training won't be easy."

Aiko nodded while Yuuta ignored him and went back into the house.

And then they were gone.

* * *

That's all for now, I'll post the Chapter 7 once I've finished Chapter 9 :D


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